Cull cows are cattle removed from a breeding herd because they’re no longer productive or profitable enough to keep. The term applies to both dairy and beef operations, and these animals play a surprisingly large role in the meat supply: cull cows account for about 19% of all U.S. commercial beef production, and roughly three million dairy cows alone are slaughtered each year.
Why Cows Get Culled
Culling isn’t random. Farmers evaluate their herds regularly and remove animals for specific reasons, though the priorities differ between dairy and beef operations.
In dairy herds, the top three reasons are reproductive failure (the cow can’t get pregnant again), mastitis (a painful udder infection that reduces milk quality), and low milk production. Many culled dairy cows have more than one issue. About 35% of culled dairy cows had a secondary reason recorded by the farmer, and 11% had a third.
Beef operations cull for different reasons. According to a USDA study, nearly 40% of beef cows were culled because of old age or deteriorating teeth, which makes it hard for them to graze effectively. Another 24% were culled for pregnancy status, meaning they were “open” (not pregnant) after the breeding season. Economic pressures like drought or herd downsizing accounted for about 18.5%. Only around 6% were culled specifically for poor production. Some producers also remove cows with bad temperaments, eye problems, or lameness, though these represent smaller percentages.
Where Cull Cow Meat Ends Up
If you’ve eaten a fast-food burger or bought ground beef at the grocery store, you’ve almost certainly eaten meat from a cull cow. These animals are a major source of lean beef used in processed and ground products. The meat tends to be leaner and tougher than what comes from younger, grain-finished steers, which makes it ideal for grinding rather than selling as steaks.
That said, cull cows in better body condition do yield whole muscle cuts like loin, round, rib, and chuck that end up in retail and restaurant markets. Cows with higher body condition scores produce enough marbling and tenderness to meet quality standards for these cuts.
How Cull Cows Are Graded
USDA market news classifies cull cows into four categories based on how much flesh they carry, using a body condition scoring system that ranges from 1 (emaciated) to 9 (obese).
- Breakers: The heaviest, fleshiest cows with a body condition score of 7 or higher. They yield the most saleable product and bring the highest prices.
- Boners: Moderately conditioned cows scoring 5 to 7. This is where many well-nourished commercial cows land, and they make up a large portion of cull cow sales.
- Leans: Thin cows scoring 1 to 4. They bring noticeably lower prices because they yield less meat.
- Lights: The smallest, thinnest animals. They produce very low carcass weights and earn the least per pound because processing costs stay roughly the same regardless of size.
The Economics of Selling Cull Cows
Cull cow sales represent real money for ranchers. For a typical cow-calf operation, 15% to 25% of annual revenue comes from selling culled animals. That makes the timing and condition of those sales a significant management decision, not an afterthought.
Prices follow a predictable seasonal pattern. They tend to drop in late fall when spring-calving herds wean their calves and sort out cows to cull, flooding the market. Prices typically climb back up heading into the new year and stay stronger through summer. A rancher who can hold a cow through the fall price dip and sell in late winter or spring often captures a better price per pound.
Feeding Cull Cows Before Sale
Some producers choose to feed thin cull cows for a period before selling them, a practice sometimes called “feeding out” or short-term finishing. The idea is straightforward: add enough body condition to move a cow from the Lean category into Boner or Breaker territory, where she’ll bring a higher price per pound and yield more total product.
On a high-energy ration, thin cows with a body condition score of 2 to 4 can gain about 2.5 to 3 pounds per day. Feed efficiency runs around 10 pounds of feed per pound of live weight gained, which is considerably less efficient than finishing young steers or heifers. Depending on starting condition, it takes 30 to 90 days to add 1 to 3 body condition points.
The sweet spot for profitability is a body condition score of about 5.5 to 6. Market data shows that thin cows (scores 2 to 4) are discounted more heavily than fatter cows are rewarded, so the biggest payoff comes from getting very thin cows up to moderate condition. Feeding beyond a score of 6 or 7 generally isn’t worth it because the price premiums shrink while feed costs keep climbing and efficiency drops. Younger cows, age 3 and under, respond best to feeding. Cows older than 8 tend to lose efficiency and are riskier investments for this strategy.
Fitness for Transport
Because cull cows are often older or in poorer condition than the rest of the herd, their fitness for transport is an important welfare concern. Industry guidelines generally prohibit transporting animals that can’t walk on their own, have broken legs, are blind in both eyes, or have a prolapsed uterus. Cows in the final stages of pregnancy or those that gave birth within the last 48 hours are also unfit for transport under most standards.
Animals that don’t meet transport fitness criteria need to be treated on the farm or, if recovery isn’t possible, humanely euthanized rather than loaded onto a truck. This is one reason body condition and health monitoring matter well before a producer decides to cull. A cow that deteriorates too far may lose all market value if she can no longer be legally or humanely transported.